No respite as Kashmir continues to sizzle, temperatures shatter records

Srinagar, Jul 6: After a brief dip in day temperatures, nighttime heat continues to grip Kashmir, with Srinagar tying its all-time highest minimum temperature for July at 25.2 degrees Celsius (77.4 Fahrenheit), weather officials said Sunday.

The minimum was 6.2 degrees above normal, matching the record set on July 21, 1988. Elsewhere in the valley, unusually high night temperatures were reported, compounding discomfort amid ongoing dry conditions. Qazigund, the gateway to the valley, recorded a minimum of 23.1°C — just shy of its all-time record of 23.4°C set a day earlier. Pahalgam’s low of 20.0°C neared its July record of 20.2°C, while Kokernag tied its record at 22.6°C, set earlier this month.

“These warm nights are highly unusual for the region,” an official with the Meteorological Department said. “They reflect a persistent warm air mass and lack of overnight cooling due to humidity and at times cloud cover.” Daytime temperatures, meanwhile, offered slight relief. A day after Srinagar recorded its third-highest July maximum at 37.4°C, the mercury dipped to 33.7°C. Scattered light showers and increased cloudiness helped ease the heat across parts of the Valley.

More relief is expected in the days ahead. Independent weather observer Faizan Arif predicted that maximum temperatures will gradually settle around or below 30–31°C for much of the coming week. “We are likely to see a more significant cool-down starting Monday, particularly in southern and central Kashmir,” Arif said.

Despite the daytime dip, the continuing high nighttime temperatures have raised concerns about water scarcity, crop stress and energy consumption across the region.

In contrast, Jammu city in the southern part of the union territory received over 100 mm of rainfall, pushing down the daytime high to 31.6°C — about 4 degrees below normal. Authorities issued alerts for flash floods, waterlogging and landslides in low-lying and vulnerable areas.

But in Ladakh, India's high-altitude cold desert, heat prevailed. Leh recorded a maximum of 31.6°C, while Kargil soared to 35.6°C — far above what is typical for the arid region. “This kind of heat in Ladakh is quite rare and reflects a broader regional warming trend,” a weather expert said. Officials said that July 2025 is shaping up to be one of the warmest on record in Kashmir, alongside 2022 and 2024.